Explosions feared as B’da residents stock gas in homes

Residents of Ntamulung and New Layout quarters in Bamenda are said to be living on a time bomb as two clandestine warehouses of domestic gas have been spotted by authorities of the Delegation of Mines, Industries and Technological development, MINMITD in some homes.

Filled with memories of the Bertoua incident, there are fears of imminent explosion in case of stray ignition from either cigarette or fire.

Bamenda is flooded with unauthorised distributors of domestic gas, creating artificial scarcity that raises prices. From the FCFA 6500 official price promulgated by government, retailers in Bamenda are selling gas for as much as FCFA 8000 with no receipt issued and sometimes less than the stipulated gas content of 12kilogram a bottle.

According to Boniface Njakenji, North West Regional Delegate of Chambers of Commerce cum official refilling and distributor of Afri-gas, drastic measures must be taken now to pre-empt any eventuality or else a situation may occur that would put human lives at risk.

From a meeting with domestic gas distributors, the SDO for Mezam told Governor Lele L’Afrique Adolphe while on tour in Bali that the distributors claimed that a period of grace of one year had been issued by the Chief Executive of the Region. The Governor who was just getting to know about it for the first time asked whether the period of grace was issued in writing or verbally.

The Governor told authorities of MINMITD and MINEE to write a report to that effect and table it to him for action. He was determined to smoke out these owners of clandestine warehouses in Bamenda.

Still in Bali for his socio-economic tour, the Governor visited palm plantations owned by individuals, craft centres, microfinance institutions, dairy farm sponsored by CDENO, gas refilling and distribution station, coffee cooperative, poultry farms, schools, water catchment and a cassava transformation site allocated for a FCFA 4 billion worth factory.

The Governor applauded the people of Bali for their effort to boost the economy and said government is doing everything possible to create an enabling environment for such lofty initiatives to flourish.